Israel at its true size
Israel covers 20,770 km², number 150 of 194 countries by area. Home to 10,122,800 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 20,770 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 10,122,800 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 487 per km² |
| Capital | Jerusalem |
| Local time in Jerusalem | |
| Time zone | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 IANA |
| Currency | Israeli new shekel (ILS) Wikidata |
| Languages | Hebrew |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Western Asia, Asia |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | OECD |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +972 |
| Codes | IL · ISR · 376 |
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Where Israel ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#96 of 19410 million people#31 of 48 in Asia
- Population density#17 of 194487 people per km²#8 of 48 in Asia
- Urban population#17 of 19292% urban#7 of 47 in Asia
- Fertility rate#56 of 1922.87 births per woman#8 of 47 in Asia
- Population growth#84 of 192+1.20% a year#22 of 47 in Asia
- Birth rate#80 of 19218.6 births per 1,000 people#17 of 47 in Asia
- Death rate#162 of 1925.3 deaths per 1,000 people#30 of 47 in Asia
- Children under 15#81 of 19227.2% under 15#18 of 47 in Asia
- People over 65#64 of 19212.7% aged 65 and over#9 of 47 in Asia
- Net migration#51 of 192+1.1 per 1,000 people#14 of 47 in Asia
- Refugees abroad#113 of 1900.12 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#29 of 47 in Asia
Health & education
- Life expectancy#13 of 19283.2 years#5 of 47 in Asia
- Infant mortality#170 of 1912.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#44 of 47 in Asia
- Doctors#36 of 1783.80 doctors per 1,000 people#3 of 46 in Asia
- University enrolment#63 of 14556.3% gross enrolment#14 of 42 in Asia
- Human Development Index#26 of 190an index of 0.919#5 of 46 in Asia
Economy
- GNI per capita#17 of 185$56,180 a person#3 of 45 in Asia
- Internet users#67 of 18488% online#21 of 43 in Asia
- GDP per capita (PPP)#33 of 184$59,717 a person#9 of 45 in Asia
- GDP growth#104 of 187+2.9% a year#30 of 45 in Asia
- Inflation#90 of 176+3.0% a year#19 of 42 in Asia
- Unemployment#121 of 1783.5% of the labour force#27 of 47 in Asia
- Extreme poverty#107 of 1490.4% under $3.00 a day#21 of 33 in Asia
- Income inequality (Gini)#50 of 149a Gini index of 38.3#4 of 33 in Asia
- Jobs in agriculture#175 of 1780.8% of jobs#45 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in industry#136 of 17815.1% of jobs#43 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in services#6 of 17884.1% of jobs#2 of 47 in Asia
- Foreign investment#43 of 1844.3% of GDP#12 of 44 in Asia
- Exports#107 of 16827.6% of GDP#23 of 42 in Asia
- Military spending#3 of 1557.8% of GDP#1 of 38 in Asia
- Mobile subscriptions#9 of 191177 subscriptions per 100 people#3 of 47 in Asia
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#41 of 1855.77 tonnes a person#17 of 47 in Asia
- Forest area#160 of 1927% forest#30 of 47 in Asia
- Renewable energy#155 of 1906.2% renewable#28 of 47 in Asia
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 47 in Asia
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#71 of 19121.9 µg/m³#33 of 47 in Asia
- Protected land#45 of 19127.6% of the land protected#9 of 47 in Asia
- Arable land#85 of 19011.9% of the land arable#19 of 47 in Asia
- Water stress#11 of 176132.0% of its available fresh water#8 of 47 in Asia
- Precipitation#148 of 180435 mm a year#31 of 47 in Asia
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Israel’s area, lit up on the map →
- El Salvador0.99×Israel and El Salvador are almost exactly the same size.
- Slovenia1.02×Israel and Slovenia are almost exactly the same size.
- Belize0.9×Israel is 10% smaller than Belize.
- Djibouti0.9×Israel is 10% smaller than Djibouti.
- Fiji1.14×Israel is 14% larger than Fiji.
- Kuwait1.17×Israel is 17% larger than Kuwait.
How many times does Israel fit into…
- Russia: about 822 times
- Canada: about 481 times
- United States: about 473 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Israel shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Jordan252 km
Summits
- Meron1,208 m
Lakes
- Dead Sea605 km²
- Sea of Galilee168 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Israel. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Israel
- How big is Israel?
- Israel covers 20,770 km², which makes it number 150 of 194 countries by area. About 10,122,800 people live there (2025), 487 per km².
- Is Israel bigger than El Salvador?
- Israel and El Salvador are almost exactly the same size. Israel: 20,770 km²; El Salvador: 21,041 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Israel?
- Israel lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Israel?
- Israel shares a land border with Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine.